Consider the Long Term Benefits of a Beautiful, Healthy Smile

Having a beautiful, healthy smile not only makes you look more attractive, but you might be surprised to find that it offers many long-term benefits to both your physical and mental health.

Greater self-esteem

A big part of our appearance is our smile, and flashing a warm grin with shiny white teeth is a great way to enjoy greater self-esteem and improve mental health overall. Oral health is an important consideration in social and cultural factors as dental disorders can have a profound impact on kids and adults alike. Untreated dental decay, or cavities, can result in infection, tooth loss, difficulty speaking or eating and poor appearance – all of which can easily hinder anyone’s self-esteem, affecting relationships and even careers.

Preventing oral diseases

You know that taking care of your teeth and going to your dentist in Stuart is important for preventing issues like cavities, but over the long term, a healthy smile can also help to prevent oral diseases, including gum disease, gingivitis or inflammation of the gums, and oral cancer, which results from abnormal cell growth in the mouth, lips, tongue or throat. Left unchecked, they can lead to severe pain, loss of teeth and serious health complications, in some cases, even death.

Other serious health issues

There are other serious conditions that can result over the long term if you don’t have a healthy smile, that aren’t even related to your mouth. Just some of the consequences can include heart disease, as the bacteria from inflamed gums can enter the bloodstream, travel to the arteries of the heart and lead to atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of a heart attack. The inner lining of the heart may also become infected and inflamed, a condition referred to as endocarditis.

Other potential problems you can avoid with regular trips to your dentist in Stuart, include dementia, as bacteria can enter the brain, leading to the development of diseases like Alzheimer’s. Gum disease can also lead to infections in the lungs, like pneumonia, and if you have diabetes, inflamed gum tissue and periodontal disease can cause diabetic complications, worsening symptoms and making it more difficult to control blood sugar.

Saving money

A healthy, beautiful smile can also help you save money over the long term. When you allow problems to fester and don’t address them right away, they only get worse. People who put them off, frequently wait until the pain is so great it can no longer be tolerated, and at that point those issues have compounded, and the cost to correct them are generally much higher.

By taking care of your teeth and going to your dentist in Stuart regularly, you can save a potentially significant amount of money.